Store-service apparatus



. (Kojak lei.)

H. W. SHARPLESS.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS! No. 295,443. Patented Mar. 18, 1884.

IHHHHHHIHIIIH Zzmzion %%1/% h UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

HENRY SHARPLESS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,443,0lated March 18, 1884.

' Application filed February 1, 1884. No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY W. SHARPLESS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store- Service Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object to avoid the loss of floorspaceand overcome the difficulty of communication whichresults from placing the packingdesk, or station where goods are packed, upon the main floor of a retail store; and this object I effect by elevating the packing-desk to a position where it will not obstruct the floor, and where it is accessible to the salesmen without the intervention of messengers or cash-boys.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of sufiicient of a store to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a store; showing a modification.

It is customary in retail stores to have one or more packers desks or stations upon the floor of the store, to which thegoods are carried from the salesmen. by messengers or cash-boys, and where they are wrapped up and then sent back to the salesmen. These desks "occupy floor-space which is valuable for other purposes, and the delays and inconveniences resulting from the passing of the messengers back and forth through crowded stores are a serious detriment to business. In stores where storeservice apparatus is employed as a substitute for cash-boys, and where the carriers convey both money and parcels, the latter are all wrapped at one wrappingdesk, and the difficulties above named do not exist; but where the carriers can carry only money it is necessary to send the parcels to the wrapping-desks and to employ messengers for the purpose, so that the object of the apparatus in dispensing with attendance is but partially effected.

My improvement obviates these difficulties; and it consists in providing one or more stations for the wrappers at a point away from the main fioor and easily accessible to the salesmen without traversing the aisles, so that all floor-space may be used for displaying and selling goods, while the necessity of the salesmen traversing the aisles or of employing messengers for conveying the goods is'avoided.

Figs. 1 and 2, the position being such that the salesmen behind the counters can easily hand the packages to the packer; or the platform A may be below the main floor O, and the packages may be passed to and from the packer through a suitable opening, a. In any case the loss of valuable floor-space is avoided, the waste of time and liability of mistakes in carrying the goods to and from distant points is prevented, and the main passages are left solely for the use of purchasers.

W hen store-service apparatus is employed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the elevators H and dropboxes I are arranged to receive and deliver the cash from the ways E E at the counters of the salesmen, as heretofore, while the goods are packed near the purchaser, with cessible to the salesmen of a store, but away from the main floor thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the counters or stations of a store, of a packing desk or platform arranged in a position above or below the main floor, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a store, of the counters or stations, astore-service apparatus con structed to receive and deliver the cash at the said counters, and one or more packing-stations away from the main floor and accessible to the salesmen, substantially as specified. 4. The combination, with the counters of a store, of a packing-desk arranged below an opening in the main floor, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY W. SHARPLESS.

\Vitnesses:

Gno. A. PURB cK, J. WM. HALLOWELL. 

